


Of A Princess And A Mutant

by botgal



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Derse/Prospit Royalty, Derse Dreamers, F/M, Good times all around, Master/Servant, Royalty, more rosekat that no one wanted yaay, rose is gonna have fun messing with him, the boy has a thing for powerful women
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:37:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9919109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/botgal/pseuds/botgal
Summary: In which the youngest princess of Derse receives a mutant blooded troll as a gift of a slave from the troll empress, he finds himself taken under her wing to be trained to be a proper retainer for her, and subsequently they engage in numerous accounts of odd, roundabout courting rituals and rather intensely intimate circumstances.





	1. Recipient

**Author's Note:**

> I shouldn't have written that RoseKat fic yesterday. It has only inspired me to do more. When will my self-indulgence end?  
> Honestly probably never.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess gains a 'gift', and a Mutant gains a mistress.

When you first lay eyes on him, your honest first impression is that he is likely the saddest, most miserable excuse for a living creature you have ever laid eyes on.

Scruffy and ragged, the obvious attempts to make him look even partway presentable as a gift in the royal court only serve to make him to look like a roughly hewn and coarsely sanded lump of misery. The dark and baggy skin beneath his eyes lends an air of sleeplessness to those mustardy sclera and grayish irises. The thin coating of some waxy substance over his lips fails to hide the scars and cracks from dryness and bites from what now look to be freshly (poorly) cleaned teeth. The lopsidedness of a no doubt fresh haircut is betrayed further by the remaining hints of knots and mattedness which whatever fool had 'tended' to that raven hued bramble patch failed to properly smooth.

You could likely wax poetic for hours upon the state of this wretched troll, from the state of his sack-cloth clothes and inadequately fed body, right down to the painfully obvious scars hinting that this is not the first time in his life that shackles have dug into his gray flesh.

Your carefully composed face which you keep for the court, especially when court is held with one with so powerful a figure as the Condesce, keeps your expression blessedly vapid. Lest the ancient sea hag become privy to how the sight of the strange troll genuinely upsets you deep down. A glimpse from the corner of your eye shows your elder sister, by far more maternal and softhearted than you allow yourself to consider behaving, is having by far less luck in that department, as traces of despair at the poor thing's condition twitch on her features.

Apparently he is meant to be a gift for you, of all people, so the empress declares. A peace offering and a trinket meant to sweeten relations between your kingdoms. The troll empire cannot take either of the so-called Planets of Dreams, lest the entirety of Paradox Space deliver swift retribution upon them for attempting such blasphemy as usurping the rightful royalty. So for once the leader of this warrior race must resort to diplomacy. Hence him.

She's heard that you enjoy unusual things, and apparently this one is very unusual for trolls. It seems he has a very distinct shade of blood from the rest of his kind, however strange that would be to you humans who bleed but one color and honestly find the race's preoccupation with the array of rainbow hues in their veins to be unusual in itself. She wishes to show she thinks of the youngest as greatly as she does the eldest who will inherit the throne. Thus why he is for you.

You accept the 'gift' of another living creature with as much grace as you can muster, and you and your siblings keep up your charade of politeness until she is finally escorted back to her ship and out of your sights. It is a great relief to everyone involved when she is finally gone. Except perhaps the troll, who seems a touch apprehensive as to his fate beneath his general air of resigned surrender.

Thankfully your eldest brother acts quickly before you sister can set upon him in what would no doubt be an overwhelming and potentially awkward display of concern and affection for the wretch who still stands weighted down by his golden bonds. He orders them to be removed, a few Carapacian servants rush forward to hastily follow the command.

The troll seems confused as he stands there, rubbing at his chafed neck and wrists once the manacles and chains are removed.

You descend from your decorated throne until you stand before him. Though you dislike the circumstances, you've already decided within yourself that you will take him under your jurisdiction. The Condesce chose you to give him to, you will take that however you please. Perhaps treating him as an actual living creature and enlisting him under proper service as an honorable retainer rather than a lowly slave would be enough of a passive-aggressive jab at the seadweller empress in return for her insulting attempt at a gift.

You fix him in your sharp eye and speak to him in tones cool yet luxurious as crushed velvet.

“What is your name?”

He looks up at you, and in the cautious, distrustful gray of his gaze you swear you can see the faintest traces of some rich, bright red in his eyes. And in that moment, seer though you are, you have no way of knowing just how well you will come to know those eyes.

“... Karkat. Karkat Vantas.”

 


	2. Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess makes a Mutant an offer he'd be folly to decline.

In all honesty, you have no fucking idea just how your life has taken this sudden, sharp left turn.

You started bound in gold and jewels as always, taken to this place by the Condesce herself, no doubt to serve as a slave and work yourself to death. Or else die by the hands of one of the Dersian royals who were all said to possess no small amount of magical power. You had it drilled into you by your Fuschia blooded master, under whom you were in slavery once your hideous blood color had been discovered, that the Dersites were dangerous and cruel. Living on a planet far out in the furthest ring where horrorterrors worse than even her ancient lusus lurked in the void of space. No doubt what little life you were expected to live under the mastery of the infamous Princess Rose, Seer into the unknown and servant to the horrorterrors, would be short, painful, and cruel.

Yet, here you are, not a day after your hideous self has been handed off like the repulsive living baton you are, and you are far from in pain.

You were freed from those gilded shackles almost as soon as you were left with the royals, and they haven't been replaced since. For the first time in what feels like sweeps, you've been cleaned properly in an _actual_ ablution block, instead of scrubbed roughly with stinging soap and freezing water outside. Your coarse hair has been brushed and freed of all the buildup of knots and extra hair. Still in need of a proper haircut from the piss-poor hack job that the Condesce had ordered for you, but it's at least free of matting and knots. You have no intentions of letting anyone near you with any sort of sharp cutting implements quite yet. You've been given clothes that, even though they hang against your malnourished frame, don't smell like rodent repellent and feel like coarse sackcloth.

Oh, and, on the topic of you being malnourished, you've been given food. Real, cooked, non-infested or half rotted,  _food_ . It's strange food, you can't see any sign of grubsauce or any other staple you're used to, but it's  _good_ . You were half expecting some moldy pieces of whatever was lying around, but the Princess had ordered you food fresh from the kitchen. Cooked just for you. As soon as you realize it's for you, you don't hesitate to dig in. If it's poisoned or laced with something or not, you hardly find yourself caring. You've already given in to the idea that you could die here at any moment, no matter how kindly they've treated you so far. If you're going to die, you're going to make for damned sure it's not going to be on an empty stomach, or at least without tasting anything like actual sustenance.

Speaking of said Princess. She hasn't left the room since the servants came and dropped off the food before absconding again. She's just been sitting there, watching as you devour your meal with all the efficiency of a swarm of hungry locusts. Just observing you from what looked to be a very plush looking concupiscent platform in this lush room while you worked your way through your food at the small table. Was this her respite block? Didn't seem likely. By your experience seeing the Condesce's block, this would be an awfully small place for anyone of the standards of royalty. Even if this Princess seemed quite a bit less inclined to grandiose shows of wealth that you were used to with your empress.

At last your feeding frenzy subsides and you sit back in your chair, marveling at the fact you're actually feeling  _full_ . When was the last time that had happened? You can't recall. All of the dishes have been licked clean, hardly a spot of sauce or anything left on them.

“Was it to your taste? Would you care for more?” Your head snaps up, hearing the Princess speak for the first time since she led you here. You stare at her incredulously, not quite certain if she's trying to test you or not. Were you not supposed to enjoy the food? Had she intended that you be fed something revolting and you had disappointed her expectations by enjoying it? In your experience, lying only leads to bad things, so best try to hope the truth won't damn you too badly.

“... It was good. I'm pretty full right now.” You can hardly tell, but you _think_ the edges of her lips twitched up a bit. So it was good you enjoyed the food, then?

“Excellent. If you're finished, then we can speak business.” You cringe, feeling apprehension pool in your gut. What sort of business could she be talking about? She gets up from the platform and approaches the table, pulling up a seat on the other side so that she can look at you more closely. You tense up, fingers gripping where you sit as you await her words. “I will be entirely honest with you, Mr. Vantas, I have no intention of keeping you as a slave, as your empress obviously intended with her 'gift' of you to myself.” Karkat started at the sudden display of outspoken honesty, but she went on without pause. “However, I will be equally honest to you in admitting that, though I wish I could, I cannot release you entirely from this castle. I have no doubt your empress would take my sending you away from here as an insult, which would certainly put a damper on diplomatic relations. That being said, I doubt you would be quite content in being made a fixture or an ornament about our castle, so I would like to make you an offer.” Her hands fold in her lap and she stares directly into your eyes. “I have no need for a slave, but I do have need for a retainer. If you'd like, you can work for me under that capacity.”

You stare at her, not quite certain you're comprehending her offer correctly. Perhaps you've finally fried your pan somehow and this is just some great hallucination you're having.

“Are you... are you _offering me a job_ as a servant?” She nods briskly, her expression unchanged.

“Well, a bit more than a general servant. Perhaps a personal assistant? You would be expected to perform all the duties I would expect as a retainer, helping me with various tasks and duties as I need it. You would be paid and have your days of rest, of course, I wouldn't overwork you, and I would expect you to tell me if I were.” She pauses to look you over, perhaps gauge your reaction? If so, she must catch sight of how stiff you are, because her expression softens by degrees. “Of course, if you would rather not, then other options can be arranged. You could always see which of my siblings you like best and choose to serve one of them in that regard instead. Or we can forego the offer altogether and find some other task in the castle you might take to better. The choice is yours.”

You feel a bit uprooted at the moment, you can hardly think of a way to respond. This whole situation is  _way_ out of your element. If you weren't so in shock at the moment there is little doubt that you would likely be flipping your shit off the metaphorical handle. Yet here you are, stiff as a board and unable to flip just about anything aside from your tongue absently in your mouth.  


She doesn't prod you for a response, just keeps staring. Honestly it's a bit unnerving, but you're inclined to believe she doesn't mean anything by it.

Well... this is honestly a hell of a lot more than you ever could have dreamed of. Not only is she saying you're free, but she's offering you an actual job? Like a real fucking person?! If you consider all the options, it's pretty overwhelming. But, all things aside... the idea of working for her doesn't seem too terrible? If she's really going to keep her word on all of this (which you honestly still doubt but your stupid stupid bloodpusher won't stop beating a note of hope at the idea), then working for her may not seem entirely too bad. She speaks pretty frankly, if not bluntly, and seems to know what she's doing. You don't have any idea what her siblings may be like, though, and you don't really care to go through a huge arduous process of finding out what they're like in case she decides to rescind her offer if you show signs of indecision. So, there really seems only one intelligent option.

“Alright, Princess, I guess-”

“Rose.” She cuts you off softly, but still makes you stop. “Just call me Rose.”

“... Alright, Rose... I guess I accept. I'll be your retainer.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm PROBABLY gonna attempt to update this fic at least once or twice a week. But I'll ask you to be kind in quoting me on that given I am a procrastinating legendary piece of shit who has terrible time management skills and also is coming into finals.  
> Either way, stay tuned for more of this stuff. Comments always help inspiration. Etcetera.


	3. Acclimate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess tries to help, and a Mutant has a moment of boldness.

Karkat Vantas is an interesting creature to be certain.

Despite the rather disconcerting circumstances of your first meeting, you like to feel you have taken well to one another. At least, when you take an occasional glance at the strands of fortune which lead your paths, you feel you are both well on a positive track.

In any case, the troll is certainly a very fast learner, not to mention notably eager. Whether it's gratitude or some lingering fear that his position will be stripped away if he fails to perform to some imagined standard (or else both, as may be the case in his mind) he's thrown himself into learning the duties expected of him. It's a mix of various duties, but the theory is simple enough. Follow about his mistress – you – and try to keep an eye on you, learn to judge if you're hungry, thirsty, or otherwise in need of something, learn how to read the room so as to help you avoid unnecessary or time consuming conversations in order to move on to more substantial business, keep a pen and paper in hand so that he can jot down anything you'd ask him to recall.

On the lattermost note, you believe you've found an unexpected benefit. Though you'd promised to teach him to properly read and write in English, you've discovered that he's fairly fluent in penning his native Alternian. You'd make the leap to guess that his lowering to slavery had happened sometime later in his life, for him to be at such a level, though you've never confirmed. In any case, few people on Derse know how to read Alternian (your own level of comprehension is basic at best), and so it becomes something of a code. It makes it something of a bother that you can't really read it yourself and need to have Karkat read it aloud for you whenever you need to know what he's written in what Dave calls his 'scratchings of a drunk and drugged chicken who's just had a triple concussion', but you get by. He's fairly thorough, and he's not all bad a reader for you. His voice is actually somewhat pleasant in its slight gravelly tones, when he's not at the point of being screechy at something or other that's caught the fancy of his ire.

His vocabulary certainly leaves little to be desired, in any case. In the short time of his learning to be your retainer, you discover this fact to no lacking of amusement. In short, he displays a vocabulary to rival a scholar and a knowledge of obscenities that might put a veteran sailor to shame. Both of which are connected to one mouth greatly ruled by his heated and hair-trigger temper. You believe you'll be amusing yourself in odd, dull moments of political talks for quite some time thinking of the expression on the royal treasurer's face when he offered to try to 'dumb down his language' for the sake of Karkat so he could understand and record for you what was being said.

You've never seen a man so dumbstruck in the aftermath when it wasn't caused by yourself. Though, to be fair, you've never heard someone quite so vehemently, if at all, called a 'maggot panned, seedflap fondling, bulge sucking, miserable excuse for a nook licking rotted grub worm whose mouth wasn't fit for spewing anything besides what fell from a Mother Grub's third oral sphincter'. In all likelihood, the poor unknowing treasurer had never experienced such a verbal barrage himself.

In all, Karkat was actually adjusting very quickly to his new job. He'd probably be very good at it once he learned all the ropes.

There's just one thing that particularly strikes you whenever you stop to observe him more closely in odd moments.

He seems... hesitant when it comes to handing you things, at times. Rather than reach out to touch your shoulder when your attention was needed on something in his hand, he clears his throat. He mkes an obvious effort, however subtle he might be trying to make it, to keep his hand clear of yours when he hands you something. He became especially agitated whenever someone bumped up against him, causing him to whip around and snap at who or whatever had invaded his personal space.

If you had to make a guess, you'd say he had an issue with touch. Though perhaps not the same reason both ways.

The avoidance of being touched seemed simple enough. If he had been kept as a slave long enough, there's no doubt in your mind there would be no shortage of excessive and unwanted touching by his former 'master'. Perhaps longer if what little he would speak of his status on Alternia as a mutant was to be believed in how hard he had to work at keeping his blood color concealed. However little good that had done him in the end. That much you could understand, and you perhaps hoped that the threads of fortune you saw about you helping him out of that might indeed help him clear his reservations.

On the matter of his own touch on other things, however, you considered a different issue altogether. It seems to you that this stems more from a sense of... inferiority perhaps? Or, not quite that. It seems to you that he's feels... unworthy to touch. Yes, that seems better.

Whenever your fingers touch as he hands you something, he immediately pulls his hand back as soon as you've got a firm grip on whatever it is, and he quickly averts his eyes. As though he should receive some punishment for touching you even in the midst of an everyday task.

Tale as old as time, perhaps. A servant feels unworthy to touch the princess he serves, viewing her as so high above him to lay one finger upon her would be blasphemy of the highest order.

You won't be having any of that, though. You specifically brought him into your personal service because you didn't want him working as a slave. And you're going to be certain he doesn't still act like one. Even if only in deference to you.

You start small, of course, as all major changes should. You have him do small tasks for you: helping you drape on a shawl, fixing the collar of your shirt for you, tying the laces on your boots should you decide to opt for those as opposed to slippers, sliding rings and necklaces onto your body for you. All the sorts of things he couldn't avoid touching you even if he wanted to, if he wanted to do his job properly.

And, as fortune has led you to believe, it appears to be working. Slowly he loses the stiffness in his movements whenever he places a hand on you at your bidding. He still hesitates with others like your siblings, but with you he is just noticeably more relaxed. He gets used to the idea of being able to touch you, it seems, and you're glad for it.

You don't stop having him do these little things for you, of course. It's good to keep going so long as you can still detect traces of uncertainty. Not to mention the unexpectedly pleasant efficiency you gain from his help in little matters of your appearance. Until such a point where you feel like things are finally coming to stabilize and be calm.

Or so you think.

Of all the things you couldn't see coming, you would have to say you don't think what happened would ever become a consideration until the moment it happened.

It was a simple event, really. He was helping to slide a couple of decorative rings you had donned on your fingers in an effort to dress up in front of the court. Your slim, delicate hand which could rip a man's heart from his chest with ease rested like a passive little dove In Karkat's grasp. You flex your fingers as the jewelry is removed, complaining offhandedly about the soreness of your fingers because of all the writing you had to do. You hardly notice when he removes the last ring and just kneels there, staring down at your hand while he holds it.. You continue to not notice while you meander on about the state of affairs amongst the Dersian aristrocracy, until you feel an odd pressure on your hand. You glance down in surprise, and you see that his head is bowed, just so that his lips are brushing against the back of your hand.

“... What are you doing?” Though few would believe it, you _can_ be taken by surprise. You are only mortal after all. It is because of this surprise that you speak up, but by the way he freezes up you wish you hadn't.

“I... I uh...” He grits his teeth together and quickly puts your hand into your own lap as if touching you suddenly scalds him. You feel a twinge of disappointment at the way he sits back, averting his eyes from you. “It-it's getting pretty late for you, isn't it? I'll leave you alone for the night.” He gets up all too quickly, ramming his knee into the stool he had been sitting on while across from you so that it skittered slightly on the floor. Before he quickly bows to you and rushes out of your room.

You watch him go with a profound sense of disappointment. Yet, at the same time, you touch the back of the hand he kissed with the other, gazing at the spot with an absent sort of interest.

You think you will wait and see what, if anything, this might lead to.

 


	4. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess is admired, and a Mutant is the admirer.

Considering the circumstances, it would probably be safe to say that you are thoroughly, indisputably, unbelievably _screwed_.

You have no idea what is even really going on with you. When you arrived on Derse, all you had been able to think of was calculating how much time you'd have before you fucked something up, no matter how minor, which would slate you for whatever the Dersians considered culling once you were handed over. You had fully expected to be dead within perhaps less than a perigree.

But then, next thing you know, you're given food, clothes, a room, and a _job_ under imperial service. One moment a lowly slave, the next, an honorable retainer. All because of the Prince- _Rose_. All because of Rose. No matter how you try to use her title to defer respect, she always insists on you calling her by her name. Or if you do use her title, then to always say her name with it.

She is your mistress, but you're not her slave. With a mere few words she has dropped from you the chains of your former bondage, and basically made you the equivalent of someone recognized as a sentient living creature. You're grateful for that, and no matter what she says, you _owe_ her for that. She basically gave you back your life, when she could have just kept you as the piece of scum not fit to be scraped from the bottom of her dainty royal slipper that you are. Beneath all the general spookiness and creepy horrorterror whispers in the wind bullshit, she's actually nice, and she treats you well. You think you might actually be getting something close to being _happy_ here.

So, of course, your own stupid fucking bloodpusher has to fuck that up for you.

You're not even sure when it started. You just stick by her so close for pretty much all of the day. Derse seems to be a planet in almost perpetual darkness, so you're able to stand changing up your sleeping schedule without much complaint. You can't imagine what sort of hell it would have been had the Empress decided to gift you to Prospitian royalty instead, what with how brightly the sun shone in the daytime there.

You're always just behind her. Keeping an eye on her, watching to see if she needs anything, listening carefully in case she asks you to write anything down, taking in all the details of her state of dress in case she needs a quick fix for it. From the curl of her perfectly cut, diamond-pale hair as the edges barely brush her face to the way the violet Dersian royal silks just emphasize her slim, delicate figure...

At which point you always have to force yourself away from such trains of thought and force your mind on the subject of anything else before that train of thought gets too far from the station to be stopped before it goes somewhere you can't control.

And then, of course, you had to go and kiss her on the hand. In the middle of one so _simple, mundane_ task as helping her with her jewelry! What was she meant to think about that!? You could hardly look at her face, much less look her in the eye. You had hurried right out of there before she could say so much more than a word to you. Another stupid decision, no doubt. You don't just _leave_ when the Princess hasn't even dismissed you yet! No matter how badly you may have messed things up.

Thankfully, she seems to decide that she won't make a mention of it when you see her the next day. Because, of course, you have to. You're her retainer. You wouldn't be doing your own job if you decided to do otherwise.

Regardless, you return to her side the next day, and there is nothing made of your actions.

At least, not verbally.

You do notice some... rather different sort of behavior after the fact.

It comes after a short grace period, in any case. For a while after the incident where your lips dared to graze her dainty hand, she acts more or less the same around you. You perform your duties, she asks you for whatever you don't pick up right away. Things fall back into the pattern that's slowly becoming comfortable. It's only after a week or so that things start to get odd.

She starts getting oddly... touchy. You'll be going about your usual routine of helping her, and more and more you notice a hand on your arm. A finger atop your hand. A shoulder pressed to yours. It's not _unpleasant_ , but... it's odd.

Then she starts asking for you help with more things. Which wouldn't be strange in and of itself, but it's just _what_ exactly she's asking you to do now. She's having you stay in the room while she changes, as you're doing at this moment; you sitting on her bed just beyond the screen waiting for her to step out before asking you what you think. She pretty much demands that you speak honestly when she asks for your opinion, so you always do. Most times she'll stay in what she's wearing, regardless of your opinion, as you would expect. But on other occasions, if you make a comment about some small detail like a ribbon or the pattern of a handkerchief, she'll not in agreement and do a small change before looking satisfied.

Not to mention when it gets even closer. She's had you help with jewelry and such before, and you got used to that. But now she's going even further. Having you pull up or down zippers as needed, tie the ribbon-like laces on some of her shoes, or even so far as pulling a long sock up her slender legs.

It makes no sense yet at the same time triggers all the little bells in your head that you know from reading romance novels when you still had access to such things. Classic actions attributed to a highblood of the manor born taking an interest in a lowly servant in a flushed way. Which, in your situation, makes no sense in the slightest.

You're absolutely certain that she has no such intents with you, and that your imbecilic thinkpan is just reading things that aren't there. As to why it would be seeing such things in the first place, probably not smart to think on.

“Karkat.” Rose's voice breaks you out of your thoughts, and you look to the screen divider where her voice is coming from.

“Yeah?” You wince at the gravel of your voice grinding out such a blunt response, and you quickly clear your throat to clear it away. “I mean, yes?”

“Could you please come here for a moment? I need your help with something.” An odd bit of curiosity strikes you, but you're more inclined to get up and actually do something instead of just sitting there wondering. So, you stand up and make your way around the screen, assuming you're just being called to help with a zipper or somesuch again.

Then you halt dead in your tracks when you actually see her.

She's facing away from you, wearing a long skirt as she usually does; a long silky grape colored garment that's always just barely clearing the floor.

Really... that's all shes wearing. Aside from it, all she has on her body is a corset in a slightly lighter shade of purple, and hardly even wearing it at that. The back is untied and loose, laces hanging down the back of the skirt, and it's only because she's holding the front to her body that it's even covering anything at all.

“I-um...” You don't even manage to eek out any words to stumble over. You're just dumbfounded here for a moment. You've never seen her in such a state of undress, even when she needed help with her dresses, they were always mostly on her. Yet here she is, clad in nothing but a skirt, an unfastened corset, and the coy smile she lets linger on you over her shoulder.

“Ah, good, there you are. I'm having a bit of trouble with my corset today, seems it's just not wanting to obey me today. Do you think you could lend me a hand and help me tie up the back?”

“I... I, ah... sure?” You want to strike yourself across the face for stumbling over your words so badly, but you can't help it. She's just... there. Still, you have to steel yourself, and you move toward her. She turns her head away, not even bothering to watch you, as you get to work. You pick up the laces in fingers suddenly far too moist and try to focus on just getting the job done. String into loop and over, into loop and over. Don't pay attention to how it slowly starts to come up and curve to her body, or the odd moments when your fingers brush the strip of soft soft skin between the edges of the lacing. You just know your face is bright red like your hideous blood, and are grateful that she's looking away from you. You know she could easily kill you if she wanted, with her abilities. Yet she doesn't. An she so easily exposes her bare back to you without so much a second thought. You are no threat, true, but you are also trusted. Which, in all honesty, you feel unworthy of as your eyes take in the minute details of her back.

You finally finish and tie off the knot, letting out a soft breath now that it's over.

“Done.” You step back, nervous in case she asks for anything else, but she just shifts and nods.

“Yes, this is just perfect. Thank you, Karkat. You can sit again until I'm ready.”

You don't believe you've ever been more grateful to sit away from her again, letting out a long, slow sigh as you sink down on the edge of her bed once more. You bury your face in your hands, rubbing your eyes as if it will keep your mind from playing over and over the image of her nearly bare back. Gently sloping shoulders, the delicate jut of her shoulderblades such a slender, smooth neck turned from you while your face is just close enough to-

“Alright, I'm finished.” You really hope your face isn't as red as you feel like it is when you look at her with a start. She's already right beside you, and if you are blushing, she's not giving you a good read as to if she sees anything, or if she cares if she does see. As ethereal and enigmatic as always.

And you, no matter how you try to deny it, a complete and utter flush-struck fool.

“Let's be off then, Karkat. Another busy day in court today.” You make to get up, but before you can, you suddenly feel her bare palm pressed gently to your cheek, and you feel heat erupt in your face. She just keeps smiling, then pulls her hand away, barely tracing your jaw with her fingertips. “Let's not keep the others waiting.”

She makes for the door, easy in step and regal in manner, and you have to scramble out of your stupefied state to catch up to open the door for her. She thanks you lightly and goes on through, expecting your following not far behind.

And you do, keeping pace just behind her carefully measured step.

Hoping for everything that your face won't still be flooded with red when you reach where court is being held.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karkat's basic feelings for Rose at the moment can be summarized in three sentences.  
> 1\. "She saved my useless hide and I'm eternally grateful to her and will do whatever I can to help her."  
> 2\. "She could rip out my heart between my ribs without a second thought if I mess up, but she never threatens me and actually trusts me."  
> 3\. "I'd be happy just being able to touch her but kinda also want her to just fuck me senseless against a wall."


	5. Converse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess has a talk, and a Mutant overhears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super jazzed with how this chapter turned out tbh, but here you all are. As promised. Sorry for it being a bit late.

Perhaps it's not quite kind to tease your poor retainer as you are. Though you will admit, it is amusing to watch his reactions.

He's always so very uptight. To see him fluster is a rare, but satisfying treat indeed. You never can tell what will set him off. Some days you might be able to stand before him nearly half naked and he won't bat an eye, others all you need to do is curl your fingers around his hand when he's finished placing a bracelet upon your wrist or a ring on your finger.

Your siblings have noticed your attentions on him for sure, they must have. You hardly tried to hide anything. They didn't disapprove, per say. They were simply curious. Dave kept asking you why you were so intent on attempting to cause the troll to have a heart attack several times a day, with a great number of variations each more colorful than the last. Roxy's curiosity was more easygoing, but also more pressing. She seemed intent on asking just what it was you saw in him, if there was something about him your type. You never wished to share, your reasons, so you simply distracted her with vague, insinuating answers that made her wiggle her eyebrows at you in that impish way she was prone to. She seemed satisfied nonetheless, at least for a day.

It's Dirk who seems the most insistent upon finding out the root of your interest. He always had been the most observant of the Dersian royalty. He insisted upon knowing everything and everyone's business.

So you aren't all too surprised when, as you casually slip your fingers in between Karkat's as you're reading a book, causing a flush to spread across his face, you hear a throat clearing in what was previously an empty room besides the two of you. Karkat jumps to attention, looking ready for a fight, but you are calm as ever, of course. Being anything but collected and calm would do no one any good. Besides, you know your eldest brother's habits well enough by now. There's no doubt in your mind it couldn't possibly be anyone but him.

Once you've convinced Karkat there's no danger, you send him off to your rooms to fetch you a pen and paper. He obeys, but not without making a show of shooting your brother a distrustful glare as he exits the room.

It's entirely unnecessary, but sweet all the same.

Dirk eyes you from behind his – frankly ridiculous – eyewear while you continue to flick your way through your book. You've gotten yourself in a very comfortable reading position and you don't intend to leave it.

“So, you two seem to be awfully cozy.” Your eyes don't even need to flicker up to him to know he's refusing to take a seat. He's undoubtedly abusing the poor armchair he's taken possession of by completely disregarding the purpose of the furniture's construction. Either leaning against the back, jutting his hip against the side or, if he's feeling particularly generous, just barely resting his buttocks atop the arm of the chair with one foot still planted firmly on the ground in a way which could hardly constitute as sitting.

“Do we? How fascinating. It's always interesting to hear an outside opinion on appearances. We do have to be aware of those, don't we?” He makes a noise in flippant agreement. Given how he and Dave constantly whisper about 'flighty broads' whenever you or Roxy decide to be playful when conversing, you know he understands to expect nothing less. As he should.

“That we do... I think it _appears_ you're getting your retainer pretty red in the face. Any particular reason he'd be like that?”

“Could be a number of things. His blood is as red as ours, no matter the gray of his skin. Thick though it may be, it is still of flesh.” He is silent, but then lets out a sigh.

“Alright, Rose. Can we put the flighty horseshit on pause for a minute? I want to get serious here with you for a minute.” It's rare to see him put aside his facetious attempts at bonding via an exchange of typical Dersian wry wit. So you respond in kind by setting your book in your lap and looking up to him. Once it appears he feels your attention is adequate, he let out a noise and goes on. “Look, I know you two have been getting close. We've all seen it. You're not exactly being very subtle with how you're trying to get your hands all over him. Or, more I guess trying to get _him_ to put his hands all over you.”

“Well, subtle wasn't exactly a goal of mine in my ventures,” you reply matter-of-factly. “I thought I was being fairly open with my actions. Though by his reactions it still doesn't appear so.” To be honest, that frustrated you a bit. Just a bit. Dirk sighs and rubs his thumb and forefinger up his nose. Honestly, if this concern was on behalf of all your siblings, they probably could have done better than to send Dirk to talk to you. He always was notoriously bad with sorting out his own emotions. Let alone those of the people around him.

“I'm being serious, Rose... Are you really trying to start something with him? I mean, I've got no problem if you decide you wanna try to hook up for some weird experimental alien hanky panky with whatever kind of anatomy he's got going on down there. You're a big girl, and as long as he's _actually_ consenting and not feeling like he's got to do it, you're both in the clear as far as I'm concerned. But, I mean, just how far are you thinking of going with this? I mean, don't tell me about all the alien bedroom shit you might be plannings, because if any images of that are going on in my head I do _not_ need to find myself suddenly seeing you in that scene. Not that that's what I'm rally trying to get at here, but...” He grunts in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose again. “God I'm bad at this. Look, what I'm trying to say is-”

“I understand what you're trying to say,” you cut him off before he can go any further. Honestly, he can sound so much like Dave at times when he flusters. This would be a rare treat if not for the current subject matter. “And as for an answer to your question... I'm honestly not quite certain myself.” It sounds strange to admit, even to yourself, but it's the honest answer. Best to be honest with family in these types of matters. “I simply planned to take it one step at a time. Once I've gotten him used to being a out of his normal comfort zone... we'll see what happens from there. I don't plan to do anything he doesn't want.”

“...And just what is it that _you_ want?” He still presses on, but you respond this time with only stony silence. This seems to be about all he can take, because he just turns his head to the ceiling an sighs.

“Alright. If that's how it's gonna be, then fine. Just... if something turns out to be a problem, try to take it to one of us, okay? We'll do our best with whatever comes up.”

“Your concern has been duly noted, and I thank you for it. But I believe I'll be able to handle my personal maters on my own.” You're sure he's rolling his eyes at your cagey response behind those glasses of his, but he says nothing. He removes himself form his half-perch and makes his way to the door. However, when he opens it, you're both surprised to see Karkat standing there. Your pen and papers in hand.

He stands there like a startled animal, wide-eyed and guilty looking, but after a moment Dirk presses past him, and you beckon him in with your writing materials as if nothing had just transpired in his absence. He seems more hesitant to come forward than usual, but he comes all the same.

 

 

You are very much aware of Karkat's presence as he follows you back to your rooms with your things in hand, as usual. However, there's something more to his presence this time. It feels as though there's something heavy in the air around him. Dark and thoughtful, but brooding all the same. There's no doubt in your mind that he was eavesdropping, though there is far more doubt when you consider when he might have returned to your door and started listening. And about what he made of it.

You make it back to your rooms to the sound of footsteps against polished marble, and you let yourself in. Rather than following, he stands in the doorway, and simply leans in to place his burden on a small table near the door. After which he fidgets awkwardly, looking about the familiar sight of the first of your private rooms. You eye at the edge of your vision a moment, before you walk back up to where he stands.

“It's getting late. You may go ahead and return to your room for the night if you wish. I don't think there's anything else I'll be needing from you tonight.” You gently touch a hand to his upper arm, stroking your fingertips over the starched fabric of his uniform signifying him your retainer. However, unlike usual, he makes a move.

His hand slides up under your fingers, dislodging them from his person, and looks at you seriously. His eyes attempt to bore into yours, but as with anyone, he doesn't manage to get far past the cool outer layers.

“Is something on your mind?” He shifts his gaze, before seeming to make up his mind on something and shifting it back.

“... I heard what you were saying back there, in the library.” You had figured as much, though he still doesn't come any closer to specifying just _what_ he heard. You simply nod, and he takes that as a signal to go on. “... I mean, I just don't fucking get it. So you want _something_ from me, but you don't know what? I mean, look, I'm really fucking grateful for everything you've done for me, but you're so fucking cagey about everything! All the touching, and the little whispers and shit. And you just don't seem to _care_ how naked I see you? There are so few parts of you that I can name that I've seen by this point. And you keep looking at me funny and just doing your little smirks. And I just don't know _what_ -”

“Karkat.” You speak his name softly, and he goes dead silent. In any other servant, you'd be happy that he can act properly. But with him... it doesn't sit quite as well in you. At the same time as you speak, you gently place a hand on his left cheek, and immediately his face fills up with red. Your face is close to his suddenly, so very close to his ear. “... Do you really want to know what I want?”

He makes a soft, slightly strangled sound, but one that is certainly assent. You pull away from his ear, so you're looking him in the eye. Time seems to stand still, just for the slightest moments, and you lean in again, so the two of you are nearly nose to nose.

Then at the last minute, you divert your path, so that your lips land gently against his cheek. He inhales, but nothing more. You retreat again and look him in the eye, still feeling his warm cheek beneath your fingers.

“... What I want is however much you want. Whether it's this... or more.” That familiar red crosses his face, and you resist the urge to smile, seeing how your dark lipstick stains stand out against the red. “I don't need to know it right now. It can be tomorrow, in a week, or much later... It's all up to you to decide.” You stroke your hand against him a moment longer before pulling it back, stepping backwards into your room.

“You may go back to your room for the night. Have pleasant dreams, Karkat.”

He replies with a soft assent, turning and wandering off in the direction of his room, though he seems a bit dazed.

It's only once your door is closed once more, and you know that you're alone, that you let yourself lean against the room. Dropping your head to the door and your facade to the ground as you let your fingertips which had just been against his face linger at your lips.

You're concerned to realize that perhaps patience isn't quite a thing you want.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone can be perfect and perfectly patient all the time, Rose.  
> Even she who Sees all she wants may not know just how to go about getting it.


	6. Reply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess receives her answer, and a Mutant exposes his desire.

You believe it would be safe to say that you are nowhere in the _vicinity_ of knowing what has happened to get your life so far to get to this point.

Your mistress, Rose, a _Princess_ , has not all too long ago just basically confessed that she felt something for you. Flushed, pale, or whatever in the hell humans called their single quadranted romantic emotions towards other people. Even if it was only a physical attraction, she _wanted_ you. And what had you done when she basically laid this out at your feet?

You went back to your room, flopped onto the plush sleeping platform, and buried your head into the stuffed feather squares to let out muffled screams of pure frustration and fluster.

Of course, _you_ would make such an idiotic move like that. You're _you_.

You're not worthy to touch her, to see her as she's let you see her. You shouldn't even be breathing the same _air_ as her. But you do. And she lets you. And she's sending out all these signals that she'd like to share even more than that.

She's all but saying she likes you, and you're content to let that smack you in the face and just walk away with it to brood over.

Do _you_ like her back?

Well, that would seem like an obvious answer if you could look at your thoughts out of any sort of clear lens. You find your mind wandering back to her at odd moments of the day. You can't help but notice all the little details of her appearance and her mannerisms. Not to mention the... rather private moments you sometimes find yourself having in your baths in the evenings, when her face and the body she has nearly almost all but bared for you time and time again would flash behind your eyelids in peak moments of bodily sensations...

But, of course, you're completely incapable of holding a train of semi-coherent thought when something _actually important_ is on the line. And so you have let such ideas slide past you with hardly a second thought until now when you _really_ could have used that type of insight to sort out your feelings like an actually functioning person.

As such, it takes almost a full week of thinking for you to get your thoughts together. It's on your mind in almost all your spare moments. Funny, how you're thinking of her when you're in between more moments of thinking of her and what she needs. And you feel like she's being hyperaware of you in turn, whether that's just your own imagination playing games with you or if you're really just that much of a self-important douche to think that way. It's like she eyes you, expectant of... something. And you believe you know just what that something is.

True to her word, she hasn't said anything, or pressed you on the matter since she made clear her intentions, but she seems to be always watchful.

You can't stay on neutral ground forever, though, thinking on the topic as much as you are. So you finally manage to make up your mind.

She wouldn't force you, you think you know her well enough by this point to judge that she wouldn't do something like that to anyone. Or to you. If you dare call yourself special than others in regards to her views.

It is this thought that follows you one evening (supposedly, at least, you're so accustomed to the dark-skied planet as the rest of them are with your nocturnal schedule that the only real difference to you is switching the names for the early and late parts of a day), as you approach her chambers upon her sending for you and let yourself in. She granted you the privilege of a key early on. One of the only ones she allows to be held by anyone but herself. The weight of that idea is both gratifying and slightly terrifying.

You enter, looking around the room with no sign of her in sight. However, her voice from the direction of her en suite draws you in that direction.

“In here, Karkat.” She must have heard the door open, however she would have managed that. You lock the door behind you and head to her bathrooms. Entering quickly and closing the door so that the steam doesn't escape too greatly into her room.

It takes a moment for you to see through the haze, but when you do, you feel that all too familiar heat in your face again. She's sitting in the positively gargantuan tub, filled up with water tinted by some lavender colored substance with white rose petals floating delicately along the top. Thankfully for your nerve, the water only leaves her bare outline to your view. You've seen as much before, you can handle that.

“Uh... you called for me?” You wince as your own voice echoes back mutedly off the tiled walls, but she doesn't seem to mind. She just turns her head slightly and beckons you closer with a finger.

“Thank you for coming so promptly, Karkat. I know this may seem a strange request, but I was wondering if you might be able to wash my hair for me? I did a lot of writing today, and I'm afraid my fingers are a bit sore. If you could help me with this, that would be marvelous.”

“Yeah... sure, I guess.” Such a master of eloquence you are, Karkat. Truly you take possession of all the words and simply shape them into masterpieces of response like that one. She smiles at you over her shoulder.

“I appreciate it, thank you.” She turns to relax against the edge of the tub, and you roll up your sleeves in preparation. The shampoo you pour into your palm is colored faintly pink and smells of some sort of flower, though you can't put your finger on what kind. Her hair is already damp, so you just carefully work it into her hair, gently making it into a scented lather. Always cautious of your claws so that you can work it into her scalp, but avoid scratching her. You're not keen to cut them down to nubs like you'd had them before upon arrival, but perhaps some trimming might be in order for future. You'd never want to hurt her by accident.

She seems relaxed under your touch, though. No concern whatsoever. If you would guess, you'd think she has her eyes closed.

Your heart thuds in your throat, and something tells you that this is the time. While she can't look at you, but can hear you. You can tell her while her violet eyes aren't piercing you and you feel like you can at least breathe.

Still going, carefully keeping suds from dripping into her face, you take in a breath.

“Rose? I've... I've been thinking a lot lately. About... what you said.” There's silence, and for a long moment you're worried she may have fallen asleep and didn't hear you. But then her voice responds to you, clear as glass.

“... You have?”

“Yeah. I have.” You bite your lip, your hands stop working her well sudsed pale hair. For lack of anything better, you carefully direct her to lean back, and pick up a bowl. You can see her face now, her eyes are closed in expectation. You scoop some water into the bowl, and carefully pour it over her head, letting the flow wash the soap into the bath. “And... I've been thinking, about what I want. And what you want, like you said. And, I think... I think I want what you want.” Well, if that wasn't just the _least_ confusing bit of wordplay in the history of verbatim communication. Wonderful work as always, Vantas.

She's silent for a long moment as she sits up away from your hands, back to you. A delicate hand flits up from the bath to her face, you presume to wipe away the water.

“... That is a rather bold claim to be making, Mr. Vantas.” Her voice is smooth and even, but still sends a chill up your spine. Even so, it's not really a _bad_ feeling... “I may want a lot of things of you that you may not be aware of. I might like to hold you... talk to you...kiss you... among other things.” Was... she being sarcastic? “Before you go say such things... and bring my hopes up, I hope you'll be able to say you really mean that.” She turns to look at you, and it feels like her violet eye is going to pierce right through your soul. “So, Karkat? Can you really say that?”

The way she says her name in that moment, so smooth yet full of meaning, you feel like the whole universe has centered on you. And it's not necessarily a bad feeling.

“... I think I really can.” You nod.

She turns in the water, and it's all you can do to focus your eyes up so that you can't stare at her bare chest as it rests above the waterline. She approaches you, accompanied by the sounds of movement through the water as she rises up further. Damp hands are against your face, your name whispered in your ear while you're so breathless you can hardly move and-

And she kisses you. She has her arms around you and her eyes closed and her lips pressed against your. And she kisses you long, but gentle. You could easily back away from this if you wanted to, her grip on you isn't strong.

But you don't. You sit there, feel the kiss she graces you with, and slowly, you relax.

You know this will be uncomfortable and inconvenient in a minute, her naked and wet, you clothed and dry, but you don't care. For the moment, you just relish the feeling of her arms around you, her bare chest to your covered while the water dripping off of her bare skin in thin rivulets soaks into your shirt.

For once, you just let yourself not think.

You close your eyes. You wrap your arms around her .

You kiss her back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we get some action going. After a few chapters of dancing around things. It may not necessarily be a well paced relationship, but meh. Things are progressing and I have things planned.  
> Such as next chapter, when perhaps we'll see some other royalty popping up. We shall see.
> 
> If you enjoy this story so far and want to keep track of it, you can subscribe to it. Or, if you like, you can follow my Homestuck tumblr where you'll be able to see updates for this story and my others at [botgalhs](https://botgalhs.tumblr.com/) .  
> Thank you.


	7. Interruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess and a Mutant get warmed up, but then are cut short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how this fic is E rated?
> 
> Yup.

The bed is soft beneath the two of you as you lie against him. In one hand you hold a book, though in reality your attention is hardly spared upon it. Your main focus is on your retainer, who's finally consented to join you in resting for the remainder of the day. No matter what, he refused to relax all too much at first, even in your presence.

You can't especially blame him, nor can you resent his reasons. That doesn't stop you from wishing he could let himself be at ease a bit more, regardless.

He isn't doing much, mostly just lying back and staring at the ceiling. And glancing down at you on occasion. It's not unpleasant knowing he's trying to keep his eye on you. Rather sweet, you would say.

In one of his moments when his gaze flicks back to the ceiling, you bring up a hand and rest it on his chest, gently tracing your fingertip along the crescent moon shape in the center of the fabric. You do it slowly, so it feels casual, all while subtly setting your reading material aside.

“So, Karkat.” You speak low and smooth, all while watching your own finger trail along his chest. “Do you think you'll be ready to greet the Prospitian royals in a few days? I know Jade says she's been eager to meet you, after I've told her about you in my correspondence with her, but you don't need to feel obligated to it. They're good friends of ours, but I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with anything. I would understand if you wanted to abstain from things. It's always a hassle when they come, wouldn't want you to feel overstressed by it.”

You hear shifting fabric, and in a moment, a warm hand is pressing lightly against your upper back.

“I've told you before. You can fuck all that nonsense, Rose.” At least he's much more open with his words now, since he's come into your service. Even his vulgarities have something of a tenderness in them that you only hear when they're directed at yourself. It brings the slightest of quirks to the edges of your lips. “I'm your retainer. It's my _job_ to be there with you. I think I can handle meeting some of your friends. Even if they're royalty like you.”

A smile slips onto your features in full force now (so far as that can be for you), and you angle yourself up just a touch.

“Such a bold troll, you are.” You shift yourself up, until your lips are pressed ever so lightly against his throat. He lets out a soft squeak of surprise, and you just lightly giggle behind closed lips. “But I suppose that's just one of the many things I love about you.” You press another kiss, just slightly above the first, then another, until you're leaving a long, steady trail of black lip coloring over his gray skin.

“R-rose... wha... hn- fuck.” he mutters lightly under his breath, squirming slightly as you keep on pressing. Your hand, which had previously rested on his chest, began slipping lower down over his abdomen. Though it just ghosted by where his bulge would lay in wait, and came to rest instead on his still-clothed thigh, he let out a whine to your touch.

Though he had grown somewhat used to seeing you mostly (or in a few select instances, completely) naked, you have hardly seen him without his jacket off and his shirt unbuttoned. His aversion to your touch, at least, grew better, but he is still evidently concerned about touching you in turn. Hence why you both haven't gone much further than some kisses and rather intimate, though mostly clothed, touching. Not for lack of trying, though, and he's been notably more receptive to your advances of this nature as of late.

As it is, you continue kissing his exposed throat, and your hand shifts its way diligently toward his inner thigh. His embarrassed keens soon make way to rough, muffled purring deep in his chest, and you can feel the slightest of movements beneath his trousers. Yet still his hands stay in place, fisting the silken sheets you both rest on.

You leave another mark on a yet untouched patch of skin, and your fingers curl around his thigh.

“You know, Karkat, you don't have to just lie still and take it. You can always touch me, too, if you'd like.” He still seems uncertain, so you simply smile and shift your body so you're laying atop his chest, face leaned forward near his ear. “... Or, shall I rephrase that?” You softly grind against him while you feel along his arm with your fingertips until you reach his hand. Carefully you pick it up, bring it behind yourself, and reposition it until you can feel his palm cupping the back of your thigh. “Karkat... I _want_ you to touch me.”

His breath catches, and you can feel his neck muscles work beneath your lips. Satisfied with your effect on him, you keep up your subtle movements and very pronounced kisses. You feel his hand begin to run up your thigh until it rests on the curve of your ass, while his other hand comes to settle into your lower back.

“Fuck... _Rose_...” You look up from your attentions to his neck, and catch a glimpse of his flushed face. By the way you feel your cheeks heated, you would venture to guess you don't look much better. You move yourself so your face is over him and, to your surprise, he leaned up and presses his lips to yours. He's gotten much bolder recently. It fills you with a sort of pride to know that. You kiss him back, feeling the rough of his lips against the soft of yours.

Even as your kisses deepen and your hands wander further, you let out a small sound of surprise as you feel something rub up against you through a layer of fabric. You pull away briefly, and you see how he looks positively mortified. You see him open his mouth to apologize, but you shake your head, and he quickly snaps it shut.

“You don't need to be sorry for anything, Karkat. It's a perfectly natural reaction, you know...” It's an odd movement to be certain, it feels lithe and pulsing beneath you, separate by at least two layers of fabric which constrain it. “... Just as natural as mine is, feeling it like this. It's... a bit tempting, I'll admit.” He swallows hard, and you just smile again. “I won't make you do anything you don't want to do, Karkat, you know that. We can always stop here and just go back to what we were doing before. But that's all up to you...” You shift again unintentionally, and he the way he whines with such an edge of need just sends shivers down your spine. You fight to keep your composure, though.

You lean down again, until you're looking him dead in the eye.

“Do you want this, Karkat?... Do you want me?” His breath hitches, and the ever spreading red in his irises is almost piercing with how he focuses up at you in this moment.

His breath hisses out in little more than a whisper of breath, but one that makes the steady throb you can feel in your loins just beat with desire.

“ _Fuck yes._ ”

Things seem to blur for you for ever so slight a moment in the heat of the moment. Your hands are pushing his shirt up and over, then the next moment your palms are against his bare chest while you feel his calloused fingertips trace skin as he slips them up under your dress and into your undergarments. You try to unlace your bodice with one hand as the other is used for balance while you lean down to kiss him again. Then the strings are hanging loose and you start to slip your freed hand into his pants. You can just feel the edge of something that feels of flesh and heat and slick as you feel him move beneath you-

Knocking at the door startles you both. The pounding against the wood is constant and insistent. You glare at it hoping that who or whatever it is will leave you be. So you can continue without interruption.

“Hey, Rose. You in there?” Oh horrorterrors, it's Dave. You sit yourself up, giving Karkat a look you hope might convey both apology and a silent plea for him to wait, and you look to your door.

“Yes. I am. What do you need, Dave? I'm... a bit busy at the moment.”

“Well can you put it on pause for a minute? I think your knitting project can wait, this shit is probably important.” A near growl of annoyance rises in your throat, then you sigh and reluctantly remove yourself from your troll lover's person. You're quick to adjust your clothes as you make your way to the door, and by the rustling of fabric behind you you're fairly sure Karkat is doing the same. You take an extra moment to smooth down your hair, and to let Karkat have an extra moment to adjust himself, and you turn the lock before pulling it open.

“Yes, David? How may I help you with your urgent business?” Your words have a bit more bite to them than you might have intended, but you're irritated and still feeling somewhat heated,. Though that's quickly fading away at the moment. He obviously notices, by the way his eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline.

Your brother leans his head a bit to the side, peering into your room, and you resist the childish urge to do the same to block his view.

“Oh, he's here. Cool.” Your curiosity is piqued. He was looking for Karkat? “I was just thinking about how John and Jade and the rest are going to be coming, thought I oughta tell him about it. But he wasn't in his room so I thought I'd come ask you.” Your fingers tense on the doorframe for just a moment and you feel annoyance prodding at your common sense to have a moment of spite at him for the pointless interruption.

“I've already told him about their coming arrival. It's taken care of.” He slips his hands into his pockets and nods, eyes unreadable behind his shades.

“Oh. Alright then. Glad that mess is settled. Shit's settled so hard you're gonna have to shake it before you take a sip, else you're just gonna have a bunch of watery uselessness at the top and all that pulp settled down all packed at the bottom.”

“Hm. Yes, right. Well, if that's all, Dave, I think you can be going now.”

“What? Why're you trying to get rid of me like-” He halts as your expression hardens, eyebrows contracting to show how serious you're being. He glances from you, to Karkat, and you can almost heart the audible click as it all registers.

“Aah. I see. Well, I guess I'll just leave you to your stuff then. Whatever kind of kinky biz you're getting up to.” He motions his fingers to you, and you roll your eyes and take hold of the door.

“Yes. All of our 'biz' will be very kinky indeed. Goodnight, Dave.”

He barely manages to bid you a goodnight in turn before you close the door in his face. You wait until you've locked the door again before letting out a soft sigh. A glance at Karkat tells you he's heard the conversation, with his expression being equal parts annoyed and embarrassed. You make your way back to your bed and lie down beside him, leaning your head against his shoulder.

“... Well, I'd say that has effectively killed the mood,” you murmur. You can feel his body move, you assume he's nodding in agreement.

“Yeah. Pretty much. Not your fault, though... Fucking Strider.”

“Indeed. Fucking Strider.” You smile, just leaning against him and closing your eyes. “... Will you be going back to your room, now that the mood has been effectively assassinated by my brother?” He lets out a grunt, and you feel his body shift. You move with him until your bodies are facing each other on your sides, your head tucked into the crook of his neck. You already know his answer before he's going to say it.

“Not a chance.” A smile crosses your lips, and you settle into him with a breathy sigh of satisfaction.

“Good.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kinda lied. No Prospitians this chapter. Whoops.  
> Next chapter for sure, though. Promise.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated and help keep this story going~


	8. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess has company, and a Mutant must cope with it.

You're incredibly nervous about this whole ordeal, no matter how you express otherwise to your Princess. The four Prospitian royals sit scattered in seats round the oblong, well polished table in the grand dining hall. Chatting and interacting with ease while you linger a bit awkwardly behind Rose as per usual.

She's talking easily with her friend from Prospit, Jade. Also the youngest princess of her planet, though markedly different from Rose in every way. Where Rose's hair is short and kept, Jade's tumbles down her back in wild, defiant tresses. Rose is subtle and sublime, Jade is bursting with wild energy and an aura of utter wildness.

The contrast is so severe you might honestly have questioned how two such different people could be such firm friends, if you didn't recall some of your own companions when you were still a free troll on Alternia.

“So.” You snap out of your own thoughts to realize that Jade has turned herself around in her chair, looking right at you. “This is the famous Karkat I've been reading about in your letters, Rose?” You stand uncertain as to how you'll respond, but you see Rose nod at you, and you try to let yourself relax a bit.

“Um, yeah.” You try to clear your throat to clear the gravel from your voice, however futile you know that will be. “I'm Karkat Vantas, Princess Rose's retainer. Nice to meet you, Princess.”

“Oh come on, don't be so formal.” Jade giggles and smiles right at you. “Just call me Jade. Everyone does.” Ah, another informal one. Honestly if the highbloods could see just how lax these humans were with all the formalities it might give some of them blood pusher palpitations at the sheer impropriety. One particular seadweller you have in mind stands out very clearly to you. You try to hold back a derisive smirk in his memory.

“Alright, Jade,” you manage to retort without breaking expression, despite your mind being still very much on prissy seadwelling princes rather than the human princesses before you. She giggles again and pushes her chair aside, pressing in a bit closer to one of her brothers as she does so.

“Why don't you take a seat and join us? I'd like to get to know the guy that Rose keeps on talking about.”

You can't restrain yourself from making a face this time. You hardly spend any time relaxed around _Rose's_ siblings, let alone anyone you don't see outside of a daily basis. You really don't want to get _that_ relaxed around these strange royals just yet.

“Thanks, but I'm still on duty. I'll be fine standing.”

“Come on, I insist!” She waves another servant over, one of hers, to bring a chair from the sides of the room. “I'd really like to get to know you a bit better.”

You open your mouth to protest, you really don't want to talk too extensively with this girl. But then you catch a glimpse of Rose looking at you. The faintest of smiles resting on her face as she gives you a subtle nod. A soft, breathy growl of frustration sounds in your throat, and you sigh.

“Alright. Sure. Why not.” Jade smiles happily and waves you into the seat pulled up between her and Rose.

At the very least you can feel your princess's hand resting gently on your arm as you prepare yourself for the verbal onslaught that Jade obviously has planned for you when she turns right toward you the moment you're seated.

 

 

You're much more relaxed by eveningtime; now you're away from the talkative Princess Jade and her family, and in the arms of your own princess. Laid out beside her on her bed with her hand on your bared chest through your half-unbuttoned shirt while her gauzy nightgown drapes over her and pools beneath her perfect frame.

“Thank you for being so patient with Jade today, Karkat.” Her whisper catches you off-guard, and you see her settle into your chest, lips near your collarbone. “I know her way can be a bit... overbearing at times, but she really does mean well.”

“Yeah, well, I didn't realize you talked about me to her so fucking much,” you grunt. By the way Jade was rambling on and on about all the things Rose has written about you in her letters to her friend, it sounded like nearly half of your life story is written down on parchment somewhere back in the Prospitian palace.

“How can I help myself? You make such a fascinating subject matter.” She chuckles softly. “I believe she found some particular enjoyment when I spun for her the tale of the time you tore straight through the head of guard's throat with only your vocabulary when he made a backhanded comment towards me.”

“Yeah, well, I still think the skeevy nook-licker deserved it. And more.”

“I know you do,” she murmurs. She presses a kiss to your collarbone now, nuzzling in closer to you. “But you're not in my bed to talk about _him_ , are you?” Warmth flushes your skin at her insinuation, and you know she must feel it, because all you get is another soft laugh as she pulls up towards your face. “I thought so.” Your lips connect and you wrap your arms around her waist as you roll yourself onto your back, helping her up to lie on your chest. Her arms curl delicately up under your neck as she deepens the kiss. Her lips gently guiding yours apart and her tongue tracing along the barely open edges of your mouth. You moan softly at the feel of her warmth, and you hear a gasp in turn as you press your own tongue forward invitingly.

You've just started to close your eyes, relaxing into the embrace and the kiss, when a sharp rap sounds at the door.

You both jump a bit, you propping yourself up on your elbow, and her hands pressed to your chest as she looks over her shoulder at the door.

“Rose? Are you in there?” That too familiar voice draws a frustrated growl from you, but Rose shakes her head and you suppress it. Honestly, can the two of you not have the _slightest_ bit of privacy in the princess's own bedchambers?

As you are all too familiar with by now, she pushes herself reluctantly off of you and fixes herself as she heads for her door, while you re-button your clothes and smooth your hair to try to make it look as though you _weren't_ just in the middle of starting some rather intimate fondling with your princess.

So the voice on the other side of the door had alerted you, it's Jade who stands there. Grinning as usual and holding a golden-cased pillow and a stuffed white barkbeast in her arms.

“Good evening, Jade.”

“Hi Rose,” the dark-haired Princess giggles. “I know it's a little late, but I was wondering if you wanted to have a sleepover in your room tonight. You know, like when we were little. It's been _sooooo_ long since we've seen each other, and we still have so much catching up to do.”

“I...” For once, Rose seems at a loss for words, and you sit where you've moved to the edge of the bed, awaiting her answer. “... I think that sounds like a fabulous idea, Jade.” You suppress the urge to sigh heavily. Well, of course. Jade is her long-time friend. You're her lover with whom she's only really been a short while. It's no surprise she chose her. You just wish this didn't happen right now, of all times.

“Oh, great! This is going to be so much fun!” Jade makes her way into the room, and it appears she at last spots you on the bed. “Oh, Karkat is here, too?”

“Yeah, but I'm just about to leave, so you two can be alone,” you grunt, trying, but not too hard, to hide the annoyance in your voice. You're about to get off the bed and make your way out, but Jade closes the door behind her, and walks toward the bed.

“You don't have to do that. Come on, you can stay and join us. I'd still like to talk to you some more, too. It'll be fun! The more the merrier I say!” You're going to protest, but with the finality she sets down her pillow, and grabs your arm while she beckons Rose over, you don't think you really have much of a say in the matter.

Fucking fantastic.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's not so great, and there was no monday update, been surprisingly busy for spring break.
> 
> But on the upside, more Prospit royalty next update, too. So that'll be a thing, hopefully. Yaaay


	9. Fortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess converses with another royal, and a Mutant is spoken of with kindness.

To be honest, from the beginning you had expected introductions between your retainer and your fellow royalty to be... rocky, at best. Karkat is a fairly prickly individual, you know by now, and you had your doubts than integrating him with anything majorly outside his comfort zone would be its own challenge. Still, he had said that he wanted to try this, and he promised to be on his best behavior.

To your faint, yet pleasant, surprise... he has indeed kept his word. Despite engaging in some of his typical abrasive demeanor, he has quite honestly been very patient.

Even after the first day and night, which consisted of a great many questions and one impromptu slumber party, he retains his composure for the most part. 'For the most part' solely because, as per himself, he honestly cannot refrain from his verbose antics once or twice. It's honestly fairly amusing, though, so you don't fault him on it too terribly much. You've seen him grow rather heated when arguing with Dave or Dirk, but the ferocity of his spoken jabs you're certain would put professional wordsmiths to shame. Perhaps there is simply something about the male half of the Prospitian royalty that draws his ire in particular. It's served to draw a few giggles behind your hand during dinners, at least.

In any case, he does do better than you had expected. He's by far more patient with the female royals, though perhaps that's because they aren't quite as obtuse.

Jane you believe he regards with something of a detatched politeness. She's kind and soft spoken with him, and knows how to keep 'her boys' in line when need be. So perhaps there's a modicum of respect there? If not that, at least he finds her more tolerable than the rest.

Jade... you believe that he may not have been quite so tolerant of in the beginning. He _did_ manage to keep his lips sealed around her, though. Which is quite a feat for him and his ranting, you would have to say. Likely because of your own telling him that she had been your very good friend for a long time that he made extra effort to keep his lips sealed. He even put up with her tying some ribbons into his hair and overall touching him a bit longer than he might normally tolerate.

A few days into their visit now, though, and you think there's actually been some progress.

You made a few subtle mentions to Jade, about some of Karkat's issues with physical touch, and she backed off immediately. Once the touching stopped, and a few things done in the same room, Karkat seemed to pull out of his shell a bit more. Soon enough the three of you were sitting round your own little table and enjoying a pleasant bit of afternoon tea. Karkat did settle into some of his slightly more casual vernacular. But knowing Jade and her own ability to match tongues and wits, you felt no concern, and surely enough they were soon steadily exchanging banter.

It does make you happy, knowing that your lover and one of your best friends have been able to grow so amicable with each other. Of course, the threads of fate had showed that they would be able to get along somewhat easily after a bit of a rough beginning. You just didn't expect how well. Just earlier in the morning, she had asked if he would show her around the gardens. Something about wanting a fresh perspective on them that she couldn't get from you, who hardly noticed the blooms' ebb and flow of growth and wilting. You had agreed to this observation, but it took surprisingly little encouragement for him to lead her out to the gardens.

It's been a while since then, and you've taken up residence in the library for the moment. Sipping tea and reading through an old favorite on the occult. Though you can't honestly say you're very focused on the literature in your lap. It's odd, not having your ever-present retainer behind you as you lounge in your favorite armchair. He's become very ever-present for you, his absence suddenly seems so much stranger than his presence. The only time he's not around is when you're in communion with those of the Outer Ring, but he's yet to be otherwise preoccupied should you call for him for anything. You know it's Jade he's with, your own friend, but still...

You look up quickly when the door to the library creaks open, and you find the friend you just had your mind on peeking in.

“Oh, Rose, there you are. Karkat said you should be in here.” The Prospitian princess allows herself in and shuts the door behind her. You note the absence of your retainer. “I thought it would be nice if we could have a light lunch together, since all the others are busy. Karkat already went off to the kitchens to tell the servants to get something ready. I mean, if you want to have something, that is.”

You note her voice trailing off somewhat towards the end, and you realize you may have set your expression a bit harder than you meant to. You smile back at her, and close your book crisply.

“A bit of something to eat sounds nice, actually. I suppose I was a bit lost, I didn't realize I'd gotten so peckish.” The smile returns to your friend's face, and you feel a bit of happiness deep inside. She's like a puppy in some ways, so eager and so open with her expressions. You slip out of your chair and follow her out the library door, the hard soles of your flats clicking sharply against the polished floors as you make your way to the tea room. You're both in silence for a while, until Jade speaks up again.

“Karkat really is kind of a funny guy, Rose.” You glance at her, and she's smiling in her usual way.

“Isn't he?” You answer in kind.

“Yeah. I mean, I know it may not be 'funny' funny, since you said some of the reasons he might act kind of weird, but I think it's kind of charming. I honestly thought he was going to be super rude the way you talked about him sometimes, but now I've met him, I do not think he is all that bad at all.”

“I think that some of the nobles and royal accountants would beg to differ with you on that idea, Jade.” Though you can't help it, as you smile with her. Her cheerfulness is contagious, and she does have a point.

“Heh, well, maybe they wouldn't think so, but I think maybe Karkat's just slow to warm up to people. If he had a reason to be so guarded, it would take a while to get him to let it down.”

“He seemed to warm up to you easily enough.” Drat. You let yourself be bitter for a moment. You hope it didn't show too much.

“Well, I'm not sure about that,” Jade answers to your surprise. “I think he just doesn't want to be afraid of people, and he's trying really hard. And I think he's only that way because of you.” You turn your head to her, and she tilts her head to you. “He really adores you, I think. When we talk, he almost always manages to talk about you. Even when we were in the garden, he kept on bringing it all back to you. 'Those flowers are Rose's favorites', 'Those flowers match Rose's eyes the most', 'I think those ones smell the most like her'.”

Jade giggles again and hums happily as she faces ahead again. You look as well and you realize it's all too soon that you're coming to the door of the tea room. And your face is a bit warmer than usual from hearing her talk, you realize so suddenly. You both pause outside the room, and Jade is kind enough to wait for you to compose yourself.

“... I don't think I realized he spoke so much about me.” For all your supposed foresight, this is something you weren't quite expecting.

“Well, he does.” Jade says this with the sort of confident finality that seems so characteristic to her, you can't bring yourself to dispute her. “I think he really loves you a lot Rose... And I think that you feel the same way about him.” She's so confident and outright with it that it actually send a shiver through you, something not easy to accomplish. Jade just keeps on smiling, and motions to the door. “Should we go in and join him?”

“... Yes. I think we should.”

You both push the doors open, and you find Karkat standing there as per usual, waiting behind the chair he'll have designated as yours. Jade gives you a wink and sits herself down across from your soon to be seat. You walk over to Karkat, with his hand on the back of your chair, waiting for you to do the same. You gaze at him a moment longer, simply taking in his features, before you lean forward and place a swift, gentle peck on his cheek. You've pulled away and sat down before he can realize what's happened, but soon enough you hear him spluttering, and you just smile to yourself, not even needing to look back at him to know that his face must be flooded with bright red.

… You don't feel that you need to look into the threads of fate to know that this path with the both of you in it is simply filled with fortune.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose and Jade are Best Friends™. And Jade is cheering on her friend to get some D.  
> Delightfully enthusiastic and adoring love from Karkat.  
> And also some actual D.  
> It's a smut fic, little else is to be expected.


	10. Foresight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess receives a letter, and a Mutant receives a reminder.

The castle has been oddly quiet ever since the Prospitians left, once their week of royal diplomacy was up and they had to return. Not that you're complaining. You honestly can only take so much of the inane yapping and pointless noise that they make. At least now you only have to deal with the two annoying douchebags that are Rose's brothers. Jade and Jane honestly weren't so bad, you got along with Jade for a while after your initial meeting. But even so, there's only so much 'friendly company you are able to stand without taking an acrobatic pirouette off the handle. Even with Rose asking you to be polite.

Which is why it's so nice to finally just be back to the normal routine again. Taking notes, following her about her day, and getting whatever she needs to do her royal duties the best she can.

At the moment, you're doing so by helping her open her mail. You break the royal seals or cut through the envelopes, then hand the contents over to her to read. It's an easy job, if not tedious. Your claws are well suited to cutting open the paper or breaking through the wax seals over envelope lips. So you just keen on cycling through letters one after the other.

That is, until you reach for a certain one.

This one catches your eye in particular at first because of the way the light catching it makes it glimmer with pink. Upon closer inspection, you discover that this is, in fact, because the entire envelope is coated in pink glitter. You start to curl up your lip in disgust, but then your eyes fall on the wax envelope seal and your blood pusher thumps hard in your chest. Fingers grip the paper while your eyes fixate upon the seal that keeps it shut. Or, more importantly, the symbol in the seal.

“Karkat?” The sound of Rose's voice snaps you out of your trance, and you look to find her staring at you with concern. “Is something the matter? You've gone pale.” You inhale a breath and, trembling slightly still, hold out the envelope. Her eyebrows drop the moment she sees the seal, and she takes it from you quickly. Breaking the seal herself.

She scans the papers she retrieves from the depths quickly, brow furrowed the whole time she does so.

“... It seems the Condesce has some business she wishes to discuss with us earlier than expected,” she mutters.

From what Rose had told him after the empress had left, the Condesce usually came to Derse once every couple of sweeps, or four human years. So they didn't have to deal with her often. It had comforted you, the idea that you didn't have to see your empress. For a good long while. But to hear she's coming sooner than you were told... You won't lie, it stabs you through with an icy spike of fear.

“... How long until she comes?” Rose scans the letter a bit more, and lets out a sigh.

“In half a year. I suppose she's far out enough from here in her conquests that she needs time to return, even with her great ship. That's when we should expect her.”

You clench your hands at your sides, trying your hardest to keep your breathing steady. And failing, by how badly you're shaking. You're barely feeling able to stand when you suddenly feel a hand on your face. Soft, gentle. A soft pap from a warm hand. You look up, and Rose is standing now, looking up to you with her eyes half hooded. She guided your face down, gentle, until your foreheads are just touching.

“It's alright, Karkat. It's all okay... I'm here.” You take in a shuddering breath, and she just holds on to you. One hand to your face, the other gently thumbing at your horn. Until your head droops further and your face is buried into her shoulder. And she just holds on to you. Warm. Strong.

Loving.

–

You're lying in bed with her, as per usual, but you know she must see the differences in your demeanor. You just bury your face into her side, clutching close to her, while she strokes her fingers through your hair and around your horns.

You just don't know what to say to her. You love her, and you trust her, but it's all still so hard to think of explaining to her. You were free now with her, sure, but even so, the empress's return casts some doubt for you on all of that.

“... Are you still worried about the Condesce, Karkat?” You can't make yourself look up at her, so you just nod against her chest. “Karkat. You know I would never let anything happen to you, not so long as I had the power to do so. Not to mention Roxy, Dave, and even Dirk.” Her fingers ghost your face, and you lean into them for what comfort they offer. “We all care about you, and we would help you however we could.”

“I know that,” you mutter, still avoiding looking at her. She shifts herself in your grasp, you can feel her moving so that her chest is against yours now. You just close your eyes and tighten your lips. “It's just... I know you're trying your best, you all are. But I'm... I'm afraid. I've been afraid of her my whole life, even before she knew I existed. Even after I had my blood found out. It was always just waiting for the day she got tired of looking at my hideous face and decided to get it over with and cull me. And then I get sent here, thinking I'd be a slave. And I just feel like this, what you've given me... _you're_ just too good for me... I don't deserve any of this, and I don't deserve to love you.” You clench your eyes harder and let your arms tense around her “I feel like when she comes back, she's just going to find some way to remind me of that...”

“Karkat...” You open your eyes, and she's there. Violet eyes staring into your soul while her hands are on your cheeks. It feels a bit too pale to be flush, too flush to be pale. Some kind of odd in-between you're not sure of. It always feels that way with her. But... it's never bothered you. And it doesn't now. She leans in, gently kisses the tip of your nose, then pulls back. “The moment that she threw you at our feet, we never had any intention of keeping you against your will. We don't do that. When she brought you here to me, the moment she left... you were free. And nothing she can do will ever change that.” She wraps her arms around you now, holding you tight to her with her chin on your shoulder and her mouth near your ear. “And so long as I have a say in it, even if need to fight her for it... I would _never_ let her take you back, away from me.” Her breath drifts past your ear, and when she next speaks, you're certain she can feel the skitter of your heart. “I love you too much to _ever_ let that happen.”

You just stare at her, breath caught in your throat. In moments, your lips are against hers, and you're both pressed as close as you can be with your clothes on. That could easily change... but you're in no great rush to do so. For now, you just want to focus on being here. With the princess you serve and cherish and love.

And who loves you in turn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised smut guys, and I promise. It's coming... maybe even soon. Probably soon. Next chapter maybe. Maybe, possibly, probably.  
> We shall see.


	11. Afterwards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Princess and a Mutant begin a night of intimacy together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Look at that. 2 months and finally another chapter. And it's finally a smut chapter, yay~ Putting the E rating to good use at last.  
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this.

Royal gatherings do have their merits, but of course, there are the downsides as well. Namely how tedious they can be. There's the usual pomp and circumstance that has to be had. Greeting the nobility, tending to the guests, being certain to look prim and proper and befitting of the rank of princess. Honestly, you can tell that none of your siblings care to be present, but none of you can exactly help it, can you? It's your royal duty, like it or not.

At least this time you have some friendly company to help you get through it.

Technically Karkat isn't on duty this evening, but he stays by your side throughout the night regardless. He's just loyal to you like that. You can't say you're displeased by that fact, either. He's ever so attendant, as usual. Fetching you punch and small plates of food to help tide you over. You, of course, invite him to share in some of the treats with you. Despite some initial protest, he does. And he does seem to enjoy it. Even in the moment you choose to try to play with him a bit to make him fluster by picking up a small morsel between your fingers and pressing it to his lips. You rather enjoyed the way his face lit up flushing as he, nonetheless, accepted the food from your hand. Though you realize your own face may have warmed a bit when he darted out his tongue and ran it briefly over the pad of your thumb to clean a stray swipe of sauce.

“Oh my god, look at this big steaming piece of scandal.” Ah, and there is Dave, right on cue for the moment. “Come on, Rose, think of the children, do you really think you're doing their mental health any good by doing that shit in public. You've basically been eyefucking him all evening. You could at least stand to get a room before you start with all that kinky-ass tongue fetish shit.”

You smile wryly and gently tap Karkat's shoulder to soothe him down from attempting to verbally mangle your brother.

“Very well, Dave, if you insist. Although my room is ever so far away, I don't know if we could make it.” You quirk an eyebrow his way and smirk suggestively. “Perhaps if you'd be willing to lend us the use of yours?” The effect is instantaneous, and Dave's shoulders immediately shoot up around the vicinity of his ears while his palms face toward you as if to deflect a blow.

“Woah, hey, I'm not telling you to do anything. All I'm saying, maybe think of all the little tykes running around. How do you think it's gonna suit their poor, virgin eyes to see you and Karkat getting all freaky in the shadows of the dance floor? I know you guys may get off on all your weird eldricht tentacle porn and shitty wizard fanfiction, but I think if you guys start going any further you're gonna have some poor little old ladies going down with mad cases of the vapors. That what you want to be responsible for, Rose? Sweet little grannies kicking the bucket because you couldn't keep it in your pants?”

“Know what I _could_ be responsible for, Strider?” Karkat grumbled unhappily, starting to take in a breath that would obviously be used to verbally assault him. However, you decide to spare your brother the onslaught and gently press a finger to Karkat's lips.

“It's alright, Karkat,” you soothe, then turn back to Dave. “Don't worry, David, we'll be certain to keep our respective loins in our respective knickers until the evening is over. However, after which point, you will be happy to know that we shall certainly be twining our oh so familiarized anatomy with one another safely in the privacy of my chambers. Where no poor elderly woman will have to be subject to the distressing sight of thick, glistening, _flexible_ tentacle appendages burrowing themselves ever so expertly into-”

“Okay! Okay! I get the point!” You chuckle as Dave cuts you off. For all his big talk, he gets flustered ever so easily.

“Excellent. Good to know we're all on the same page, then.” Dave dismisses himself shortly after. If you had any guess, you would suppose he went off to bleach his thoughts of your insinuations. A glance to your side reveals Karkat is smirking, ever more pleased now that your brother is out of the picture.

The night goes rather smoothly after that. You convince Karkat to speak to a few more nobles, just to be courteous to the guests ever so curious about the troll in their midst. He has a run in with Dirk, but it doesn't escalate to more than him making a crack at your eldest brother's choice of attire. A decent night of festivities, you would say. However, you're ever watchful of the numbers of the guests. Waiting for the opportune moment to make your exit from the grand ballroom once enough of them have taken their leave.

At last, once you deem the room empty enough, you smile to yourself. You've always been impatient at these events once they'd begun to end, but it seemed that was true even moreso these days. Although... you suppose now you have a reason for it.

The moment you see your opening, you slip your hand into his. A finger to your lips is all the signal needed for him to keep silent, and you pull him towards the door. You manage to catch Roxy's eye as you both are about to leave. She makes no comment. Just smirks at you and raises an eyebrow, and you return a thin smirk in her direction before you abscond with Karkat in tow.

Soon enough, the two of you are free to make your way briskly down the hallway as you drag him along to your chambers. There's something almost giddy in the air between you both as you finally reach your door. You pull him in and barely manage to start locking the door before you feel a pair of arms wrapping round your waist, and warm lips pressing eagerly at your neck. You lean back into him for just a moment, letting him kiss and taste at your throat. You can already feel the top of your dress beginning to shift downward, as his fingers undo the bindings that keep it to your body ever so nimbly from all the practice that he's had in untying them in previous moments like this. Before long, though, you cup a hand to his cheek and give a slight push for him to stop.

“Easy there, Karkat. Let's at least take this to the bed first.” As expected, he follows your command, and lets you lead him to your oh so spacious bed. To your own surprise, you find he's turning you around and pushing you to sit down on the bed, but rather than joining you he's kneeling down before you, and you can feel his rough hands pick up one of your feet. Slowly relieving it of its dainty slipper and setting it down. Then his hand rests at your calf, sliding up the curve of your leg over your knee, and up your thigh until he reaches the end of your long, lacy purple stocking. He pulls it down with so much care, avoiding nicking the delicate material with his claws.

He presses a kiss to your newly bared knee, before repeating the process with the other stocking, and you're simply sitting there, feeling the tingle of excitement as he still lingers between your legs.

As if reading your thoughts, Karkat takes hold of your legs and pulls you forward slightly, while spreading your thighs apart. There's a rustling as you watch his head disappear under your skirts, but it doesn't take long before you have your hands tangled in his hair, feeling him press his mouth against the lacy material of your panties. He kisses over the material, even if you can't see his face for your skirts being in the way. Before long you can feel his practiced tongue licking up the dampening spot. You tunnel your fingers in his dark locks and hitch your thighs more tightly around his head as he moves the undergarment aside and goes for it directly.

In not too long, he's already got you gasping and panting for him, murmuring his name as you grind into his mouth while he works you closer to your climax. Even if he does do well in slipping his tongue into you and moving it around as much as he can, he still takes the time to focus on the pleasurable bead of your clitoris. Prodding and massaging it with his tongue and catching it carefully between his lips in equal measure.

Until, at last, you shake yourself apart around him, holding him close to you while you ride out your orgasm with his name dripping sweetly from your tongue. Even after it ends, you can still feel the tingles of it along your skin, and the way he looks up at you as he pulls back, so wanting and needy, sends another spark of want into your loins. Though the glance you can see of something writhing in his pants certainly helps that feeling, too.

“You look so awfully uncomfortable in those clothes of yours, Karkat,” you murmur as you slip a finger under his chin, tilting his head up a bit more. “And so very improper of you to see your princess in such a state while you've barely a stitch out of place. Perhaps you ought to fix that?” You trail your touch away from him with a flick of your nail, and you can just see the way his whole body _shudders_. He's staring up at you with the reverence of a young acolyte before the feet of his goddess herself. And though you once disliked the idea of him looking at you like that, now you just wish you could see it more.

In no time at all, it seems, he's up and away from you, and he's pulling at his tailored royal outfit to get it off as if it burns him. Smiling, you take the time yourself to shed the remainder of your garments. In much less a hurry, and much less sloppy than him, you soon find yourself watching him with a smirk, teasing him as you lie back on your bed now and slowly slip your panties off your foot and let it drop to the floor. Finally leaving you bare and waiting for him.

And when he's ready... you certainly know that he is. Standing before you, you can see his bulge is already _very_ ready to serve its' biological purpose. Fully swelled and glistening as it distended from its sheathe inside him, smearing prematerial against his thighs as the ruby tendril stood at the ready. It was a thing of beauty, really it was. You let out a soft chuckle, and made a motion to him, beckoning him to you.

“Come on, then, Karkat. I think we're both ready for this.” He needs no second bidding to make his way to you, and before you know it, almost, you're seated in his lap. You can feel the sharp points of his teeth as you carefully explore his mouth, his arm wrapped around your waist holding you close. The other hand is at your chest, tenderly massaging your breast, even as you can feel the slick firmness of his bulge slide eagerly against your entrance. His body feels so hot, it just makes you cling to him more as if his closeness can ward off the shivers wracking your body.

You pull back from your kiss, and you lean in to murmur in his ear.

“There's no need to- _ah_.” You let out a gasp as his bulge presses a bit harder against you before pulling away again, dragging its length against your clit the whole way. “To... to draw this out, you know,” you manage to continue. “I've been waiting all evening, Karkat. I don't know how long my patience will last.” You dig your nails into the skin of his back, for how little it will do with how thick it is. “So please, let me feel you inside.”

That's all it takes for him. In mere moments, you can feel the tip of his bulge pressing against your entrance, and soon the familiar pleasurable stretch within as it makes its way inside. You let out a long, low moan as you clutch him tight, pressing yourself close to him as possible to urge him in faster. By the time you can feel the tip of the versatile appendage stroking your deepest parts, you're already certain you wouldn't have been able to fit in much more. As per the usual.

You shift just a bit to make yourself comfortable, but just that movement sets the bulge on a hard, undulating writhe that gets you breathless and clutching onto him as he grips hard to your thighs. It doesn't stop, either. However much control over it he has, it's a part of him almost with a mind of its own. Even with his own willpower he can't stop it from idly searching along your inner walls. Plucking at those sensitive, secret inner places until your body pulls taut around it.

“ _God,_ _ **fuck**_ _, Rose..._ ” He curses low and husky in your ear, and the sudden shift of his hips betrays the difficulty in what little restraint he's currently holding. Smiling and breathless, you deliberately raise and lower yourself briefly, and you can heard the sounds being dragged raspily from his throat. Ever so satisfying.

“Go on, then,” you murmur, moving again to urge him on. “Let's feel how much you've wanted this.”

And by all the shades and horrorterrors, does he. Even if you're moving with him, it's his thrusting his hips up into you that sends stars into your vision. Each time reaching for the deepest places in you. His bulge now writhing with reckless abandon as if trying to cling on to your inner walls each time he pulls back. You yourself are gripping on to him hard, letting him hear your moans loud and clear to show him how much you're enjoying the pleasure he brings you. Especially when he hits those spots that catch your breath and make you keen out with want for him. His hands move to your waist to move you on him with even more gusto, and you can't say that you're complaining for it.

He's reaching deeply into you and drawing out the greatest of pleasure and you love it. Because you love him and you know he loves you and that just makes this all the sweeter.

Much as you'd love to reach a constant for this pleasure, just bask in the feelings he elicits in you, it's all too soon that you feel yourself tighten, and you find yourself clutching him and gasping his name as you squeeze him tightly and fall into your climax. He only draws it out longer with how he keeps on moving you, but moments after you can feel his bulge stiffen, and the sudden, forceful rush of hot fluids as a gush of his troll genetic material flows up into you.

It had been so overwhelming the first time he came inside, with how much force was put into the climax that shot inside of how. But now you can't imagine not feeling it again. His bulge writhes out the last of his own orgasm even as your body relaxes. The two of you wind up sprawled out on the bed, you on his chest as he lies on his back with his hands resting on your body.

Lying on his chest as you are, you can hear a sort of gentle, rumbling purr of satisfaction, and it's comforting and satisfying in its way. So far as you know, you're the only one who's heard it since he came here. Though not much of an achievement, it's one you hold close to your heart nonetheless.

“Well?” You hear him speak through the purring, and you shift your head a bit to let him know you've heard him. “Did I 'show you how much I wanted it'?” he asks languidly. Though not tiredly, not yet. He's yet to pull out, and you can still feel a few residual shifts inside of you.

“Hm... I'm not quite sure you have,” you murmur coolly, tracing a nail idly along his chest. “You usually want me so much more. I'm not quite sure I know just how much you wanted me this evening.”

A low rumble of a laugh echoes in his chest, and you're already well prepared as he rolls the both of you over, until he's leaning over you while you let your head fall back into the sheets. The writhing within you never stops, and you find yourself breathless in waiting You feel as though he's devouring you with those beautiful red eyes of his as he stares down at you, and you adore him all the more for it.

“Guess I'll just have to fix that then.”

You make a shaky move to smooth down a lock of your pale hair, normally so crisp and orderly, but now whispy and light with how he's jostled you so, before you raise the hand up and press it to his cheek.

“Yes, you shall.”

 


End file.
